Gophers coach Don Lucia said Grant Potulny, despite his lack of coaching experience, will be considered a candidate to replace Mike Hastings as assistant coach.

Hastings, after one season at the U, has resigned to become associate head coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Potulnty, a former two-time Gophers captain, was named a volunteer assistant coach in mid-May. He played on NCAA championship teams in 2002 and 2003.

Potulny has played pro hockey since leaving the U after the 2003-04 season. Last season he played for Norfolk (Va.) of the AHL, but his career has been hampered by injuries.

He was eager to join the Gophers staff. He recently passed an NCAA recruiting test, Gophers coach Don Lucia said, so Potulny will be able to attend the under-15, -16 and -17 national festivals to scout prospective recruits.

“He will get a chance to get his feet wet,” Lucia said.

Lucia said the pool of candidates to be a Gophers assistant is a little different than it was a year ago when he hired Hastings.

“Having somebody be here a period of time, that would be my preference,” Lucia said. “We’ll also look closely at alums. We want someone who will be the best fit for our players, our team.”

He said the job will be posted by either this weekend or Monday.

“I wish [Hastings] had been here longer,” Lucia said, “but he did a good job, he added to our program.

“[This] was hard for him. He wants to be a head coach at this level. A lot of times when there are openings, they have somebody in mind. But Dean [new UNO coach Dean Blais] told Mike, whoever takes this position will have an inside track to succeed him.”

Blais is 58.

Lucia, 50, said he has never had an associate head coach on his staff. “If you have two expereience guys on your staff,” Lucia said, “it’s hard to separate them. I might do it if one of them was younger.”

He said the job title also can mean a higher salary.

DRAFT ADVICE

Three players expected to be on the 2009-10 Gophers hockey team could go in the first round of the NHL draft which starts Friday in Montreal.

Sophomore center Jordan Schroeder could go around No. 10. The Wild have the 12th pick. Incoming freshmen Zach Budish, a forward from Edina, and Nick Leddy, a defenseman from Eden Prairie, are projected to go somwhere in the 20s.

“[The draft] is a thrill for our guys,” Lucia said, “but it’s a one-day deal. I’ve reminded our guys not to get too excited or too down.”

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